“We’ll find them.” Layla shushed, smoothing his tear away with her thumb. “And then we’ll make whomever took them pay. I promise.”
Luke’s eyes snapped open. And in their emerald depths, Layla saw his fury rise in a hot strike of lightning. “They are going to pay – so hard.”
CHAPTER 15 – AFTER
As a door opened and closed beyond the bathroom, the sound roused Layla, realizing someone was still in her apartment. With a sigh, she snuggled closer to Luke as he cradled her to his chest in the warm water of the tub. A heavy fatigue held her as she heard more sounds beyond the bathroom, and it was a struggle to come to alertness. Layla couldn’t, Luke’s body too warm and her own too tired as she languished in vague dreams of white mist.
But as more sounds came from Layla’s apartment, Luke shifted beneath her as if he knew their time together had to end. Pushing up from the bath in one smooth motion with Layla cradled in his arms, Luke was stronger than he’d been, with all his furious new Dragon-energy pouring through him. Layla could feel it as he stepped from the bath, helping her out, holding her still curled against his warm chest. He couldn’t towel off with her in his arms, but set her feet gently to the marble floor as he pulled on a men’s quilted robe, tucking Layla’s cobalt silk one around her.
Still curled against him, Layla rested upon Luke as he retrieved his talisman from the wet floor, lowering it back over his head and adjusting the silver pendant on his chest. She felt his energy doused around her, the white mist pulling back. Taking a deep breath, she feared Reginald’s darkwater oceans would return to trigger her black void, but they didn’t. As if Luke had left some of hisnullaxdeep inside her, Layla still felt that swirling white mist move slowly within her, making her want nothing but sleep. She saw nothing when she turned her inner sights to Reginald, except that same blank white field. As Luke set his hand to the gilded door handle of her ornate French Baroque bathroom, he adjusted Layla against him. Taking a deep breath that had ahere the fuck we gosound to it, Luke pressed the handle of the door and scooped Layla back up into his arms, walking them out.
As Layla cuddled close in Luke’s arms, she hoped her apartment would be empty, but knew both Dusk and Adrian were still there. Peeking from beneath her heavy eyelashes as Luke maneuvered her to the bed, she saw Dusk sitting at her breakfast table in a fresh set of grey pinstriped trousers, a white shirt, and pinstriped vest, clothes from his apartment. Reading on a black Hotel-encrypted tablet, a bourbon sat beside him as he held a smartphone to his ear – clearly on hold as an irate energy rumbled from him, his sapphire eyes following Luke sharply.
As Luke laid Layla down on the bed and helped tuck her in, hanging her robe from the bedpost after she shucked it, Layla’s exhausted glance found Adrian. Still wearing his shirt and trousers from dinner, Adrian sat in a chair by the fireplace with one ankle crossed over his knee. His high-arched feet were bare, his sleeves rolled up as he cradled a bourbon in his long fingers, staring at Luke with a hard fury to his attention. A tense energy writhed around Adrian, as his Dragon-tattoo seemed to roil in the light of the flames.
No one said anything as Luke finished tucking Layla in and she snuggled down into her duvet, a deep white exhaustion rolling all through her. It was awkward to the max as Luke squeezed Layla’s hand then nodded briefly to Dusk, holding Adrian’s gaze with a level intensity as tension surged between them.
“Layla will be fine. The cold has pushed back.” Luke spoke in a strangely detached way, like a surgeon telling a cancer patient’s family that the patient was going to live. Though Dusk nodded, Adrian didn’t say anything, still staring Luke down as that churning heat simmered around him. But though she could feel him wanting to, Adrian didn’t lash out, and Luke didn’t either. With one last squeeze to her hand, Luke released Layla. Some part of her screamed to lose his touch, but she knew he had to go. Crossing the apartment, Luke was at Layla’s door with his fingers on the handle when Dusk finally spoke.
“Luke. Be awake early. We’re departing for Château de Chambord at eight a.m.”
“Sure.” Luke gave a nod, and some accord passed between him and Dusk, that he’d managed to save Layla’s life. Adrian still made no nod or word of thanks, only watched Luke depart with a tense gaze, still swirling his bourbon by the fireplace. As Luke shut the door behind him, Adrian’s gaze met Layla’s. But before she could say anything, Dusk suddenly spoke up on the phone.
“Yes. Yes, I have been holding.” Dusk growled into the phone, his energy rumbling sharply. Standing and setting his tablet aside, he began to pace by the bank of darkened windows. “No, as I explained to your representative, I need to speak to Insinio Brandfort or Heathren Merkamiin person. Yes, it’s urgent. Yes, they already said both Judiciaries are unavailable. No, I won’t hold again! We suspect the White Chalice are involved in this abduction, as I already explained. Wearetalking with the Storm Queen as soon as we can get to her! Inner clan concern!? Three humans were abducted right out from underneath security systemsyour people set up here!No, I won’t calm down. I demand—”
But Dusk cut off suddenly. Lowering the phone, heaving hard breaths as the marble floor around him rumbled in a wave, he stared incredulously at his phone. “Fuckers hung up on me—!”
“What did they say?” Rising from his seat at the fireplace, Adrian’s brows knit darkly as he took a sip of his bourbon.
“They say it’s not an Intercessoria concern!” With a growl, Dusk threw his phone down on Layla’s table. “They say any suspicion of the White Chalice resurfacing is aninner clan concernto be handled by the Storm Queen. And there seems to be some problem with Heathren and Insinio, because they’ve not checked in with me, and now neither are answering their direct lines and all the desk people will say is that they’re unavailable!”
“We’re on our own, then.” Adrian swirled his bourbon as he moved to Dusk.
“This is bullshit! Where are those Fallen Ephilohim when you need them?” Dusk was working himself up now, the floor and air shuddering so hard around him that it rattled Layla’s windows in a long line. With a furious growl, Dusk ripped a hand through his hair, a wave of iridescence flashing through it. He was starting to vibrate with that un-tuned energy again, and a shiver of alarm passed through Layla as Adrian also perked. She wanted to go to Dusk, but even as she moved to do so, she felt that white wave of mist curl her down again, a deep exhaustion claiming her.
But in a few short strides, Adrian went to Dusk. As Adrian reached out, Dusk tried to wave him off. But Adrian was intent, corralling a hand behind Dusk’s head and setting their foreheads together.
“Easy, Dusk. We’ve got enough leads to go after this thing without the Intercessoria.” As Adrian held Dusk, Layla’s heart broke, wanting to go join them but strangely unable to.
“I know. I just can’t sit idly by while everything falls to shit.” Dusk growled, irate.
“Nothing is shit; we don’t know anything yet.” Adrian spoke quietly. “Imogene said her High Priest wouldn’t harm Layla’s friends if we go to them promptly, and we have to trust that. We’ll set out for Chambord in the morning. Queen Justine will have information on where we can find the White Chalice.”
“I just… I wasn’t able to protect them, I can’t contact the Intercessoria, and I was useless to help Layla when she needed me tonight. Fucking useless.” Dusk spoke again as he flung a hand out, gesturing at the bed.
“You are far from useless, and Luke helped Layla atyoursuggestion. Nothing is shit, just take a deep breath.” Adrian admonished again, cradling Dusk’s head and massaging Dusk’s nape.
Something about Adrian’s words eased Dusk, causing the jangled energy to flow out of him. Heaving a sigh, he reached out, gripping Adrian’s shoulder. The two men stood together, just breathing, and Layla could suddenly feel their magics flowing through each other in a deeply comforting movement. As if their powers braided together with the strength of their shared emotions and Layla’s Bind, she could feel their Dragons sliding through each other’s coils in a deep, loving dance.
Layla had never felt anything like it before, and it moved her to quietude as she lay in bed, feeling the emotions of her bound men. She knew they felt it too, because Dusk’s breathing had slowed and so had Adrian’s, as if listening to each other. Layla wanted to go to them, but couldn’t. She wanted to be a part of what they were experiencing, to stand close and feel that energy wrapping into her also, all three of them a part of the Bind and feeling each other’s hearts.
But whatever Luke had done to her had left a fatigue so deep in her body that it felt like her passions were swept beneath a dense white fog. Even as she watched her Bound lovers, Layla felt her drakaina stir only vaguely beneath that swirling white blankness, her body still too heavy to rise.
They must have felt it, because both men glanced to her, their moment of sweet intimacy breaking. Layla saw Adrian squeeze Dusk’s nape as Dusk gave a sigh, both men sharing deep eye contact before breaking apart and coming to her. Layla didn’t know what that sharing had been about; and neither man said anything as they slid onto the bed, Dusk at her front and Adrian moving close to her back. Fully clothed, they eased under the duvet, Adrian corralling her and pulling her naked back to his front, even as Dusk moved in before her, his hips pressed to hers with his strong hand massaging her waist.
But even though it was everything Layla wanted to have them both there, whatever Luke had done with his magics had buried her Dragon well and good. Her passions barely rose as Dusk’s sweet lips pressed hers. As Adrian wrapped himself close, spooning her and setting his soft lips to her neck, her body hardly stirred with heat.
“Are you ok, Layla?” Dusk spoke, holding her close to his warm, strong body as his summer-blue eyes searched hers.
